The Past that Follows
by Aphrodite's Apples
Summary: Hermione thought that after the war her life would return to normal, and for a time it did, but after her relationship with Ron ended badly and her friendship with Harry distant and cold, she had nothing left except a teaching job and an old enemy.


**Introduction:**

This story takes place five years after the end of the series and ignores the epilogue. Hermione is 23 and the new Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts. It seems like an ideal situation, and the perfect time to move on from the relationship that had ended so badly; the only thing that could get in the way? Why Draco Malfoy of course.

**Chapter One:**

It was strange to be back on the Hogwarts Express, after so many years it still made Hermione feel like she was sixteen again. The professor's compartment was far from full, since most of the professors weren't traveling from London for the new school year. In fact there were only two other people in the compartment with her, a witch was teaching Ancient Runes, and an old wizard who was teaching Astronomy who had fallen asleep ten minutes into the ride, making conversation impossible.

As the train rolled on she couldn't help but wonder what Harry and Ron were doing. Harry and Ginny were probably busy with the kids; it seemed that was Harry's whole life these days. It was nice to see him so happy, but she wouldn't have guessed that he'd settle down so easily. These days they hardly saw each other, they didn't really have much in common anymore. As for Ron, well, the relationship had ended badly, and they hadn't spoken for two years at least and it hurt too much to think about for long.

She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to breath past the ache that she felt when she thought of him, when she thought about what had happened. The countryside rolled by and she was glad to be going back, it was a new start, a new beginning, a new life.

Stepping off the train into the mass of students felt like being invisible. No one saw her, no one cared. She hurried over to the carriages and tried to breathe out the panic that was setting in. The mix of chaos and excitement and nerves made her head spin and her stomach turn.

Soon she stood outside the doors to the great hall, all the teachers were inside mingling and she could hear the happy talk and laughter echoing from the doorway. She tried to step into the hall, but she couldn't quite do it, she couldn't quite catch her breath and just walk in. It was hard to be around people, they always asked questions about the war, about Harry, and Ron. The tightness in her chest started squeezing again and she stood just trying to breathe when Headmaster McGonagall noticed her, and waved her over.

Hermione put on a tight smile and took a few nervous steps when the man Headmaster McGonagall was talking to, turned around. The blond, nearly white, hair should have clued her in, but it was a complete and total shock to see the man standing coolly next to Headmaster McGonagall, who else but smiling smirking Draco Malfoy, matured some, a little taller, given up on slicking back his blonde hair, but it was the same Malfoy. She faltered, but caught herself, anger that she didn't know she was still carrying took over her nervous body and she found herself standing straighter, walking with more grace and poise, and with a much more magnanimous grin. The anger had burned away all thoughts of nervousness; she couldn't show a single moment of weakness to Malfoy.

"Headmaster, it's so nice to see you again."

"I'm so glad you could join us here Ms. Granger, I daresay you remember Mr. Malfoy?" She said. Hermione turned to him and smiled icily.

"Of course, how could I forget?" Hermione said, crossing her arms in front of her. To her surprise Malfoy didn't respond, he didn't even look angry.

"Yes, well the past is the past;" McGonagall said "I'm sure you two won't have any trouble putting things behind you and doing what's best for your students." With that she hurried off to great the Astronomy professor that had fallen asleep on the train, leaving them standing together.

"So you're a professor here as well then?" Hermione asked, feeling a burning kind of betrayal to see him in Hogwarts again.

"Yes, new this year. They needed someone to be head of Slytherin and they had trouble filling the post." He said, his eyes roving around the room, never quite settling on her. "What about you?"

"I'm here to teach Muggle Studies." She said annoyed that he wouldn't look at her when his eyes suddenly flashed onto hers. She had forgotten how blue his eyes were, how piercing, like the deeps water of a still lake, the kind of lake that was fed from melting snow and was achingly cold even in summer. Hermione shivered despite herself and glanced away. "What?" She asked, noticing the confused look on his face.

"It's just that I thought you would be teaching transfiguration or something. Muggle studies could be taught by, well, a muggle." He said. All the anger came back in a moment, the horrible way that he had always tried to make her feel ashamed of her life, of her parents. His stupid prejudices and the way he looked at her as if she was something disgusting.

"Or even a mudblood like me?" She hissed, catching his eye again as he stepped back, shocked. She turned and walked away as quickly as she could without running, hoping to make it out the door before the tears in her eyes started falling.

"No, that's not what I…" he started to say, but she was already half way to the doors, "meant." he finished, running a hand through his hair and sighing deeply.

As she got the doors she could see students walking towards her, and quickly turned the other way, walking down the hall to an empty classroom to compose herself. She knew that she didn't have much time, the feast would be starting soon and she had to be there. It had just been such a shock to see him. The last time she had seen him was the night Voldemort had been killed, and he and his parents had sat together, huddled and scared and glad to be together.

She knew that his father had been sent to Azkaban for his crimes, and that Harry had intervened for some unspoken reason in the trial of his mother who was then released, and that Malfoy had been tried but because there was no evidence of actual crimes he was also released. She remembered the day that it happened because Ron had been furious, and wanted to intervene, to get him thrown in Azkaban anyway, but they had agreed after the war to let the government take over, and she had convinced him to let it go.

Her chest felt tight again, it was too hard to think of him. Still, it was easier than it had been, and she knew that it would take time for things to feel better, and that she would probably always hurt a bit when she thought of him.

Her hands still shook a bit, but she wasn't crying anymore so she carefully wiped her eyes and walked slowly back into the hall where all the students (except the first years) were already seated and talking and laughing, filling the hall with a happy roaring din. As she approached the head table she saw him, but quickly looked away, and sat down at her place, glad that the witch who taught transfiguration was seated between them so that they wouldn't have to talk.

The first years were sorted, and she was surprised how few Slytherin students there were, even with the new class being sorted in there was still only half the number there should have been. Headmaster McGonagall welcomed the new students and made a few announcements, and then she introduced the two new professors, starting with Malfoy. When he stood the hall went silent for a moment before the whispers started, even up at the staff table Hermione could hear the words "death eater" being echoed around the hall. Then it was her turn to be introduced as the new Muggle Studies professor as well as the new head of Gryffindor, and when she stood up there wasn't any silence before the hall started buzzing with whispers again, she could hear her name being said along with Harry's and Ron's and Dumbledore's and Voldemort's.

She was grateful when McGonagall called for silence and let her sit back down; she had never been good at handling the fame that came after the war. The wizard on her side taught history and she was glad that he quickly caught her up in discussion about one of the goblin uprisings during the Middle Ages, which was interesting and made her more comfortable than anything else had that day.

McGonagall soon dismissed the students and Hermione found herself standing with Malfoy once more as she led them to their new rooms.

"Things have changed somewhat since your time here; one of the changes we instituted was in the way that the heads of the houses live. One of the problems was that students couldn't reach the head of their house when they needed to, and so we implemented a solution. All four heads of houses now live here." She said, unlocking a door on the first floor.

Hermione stepped in to one of the most beautiful rooms she had ever seen, it was big and open and there was a fireplace with cozy looking chairs around it, but the best part was that the far wall wasn't a wall at all, but a window looking out onto the lake.

"This is the common area, your room Mr. Malfoy is at the top of the stairs and to the left, Ms. Granger the same on your right. I'll leave you to settle in; your things should already have been brought up, good night professors." She said closing the door behind her.

Hermione turned to walk up the stairs, and gasped when he reached out and caught her wrist.

"We have to talk." He said.


End file.
